The present invention relates generally to telecommunications and, more specifically, to a method and system for automatically transmitting information related to a previous occurring telephone call to a pager.
In recent years, the use of paging systems has greatly increased and pagers are now commonly used by persons in all walks of life. Whether used for business or for personal reasons, one advantage of pagers is that they provide users with the freedom of travel without losing the ability to be constantly linked to a communications network.
Paging systems include a central paging terminal that is connected to various transmitters. Each transmitter sends a paging signal that addresses a particular pager and that can be received by that pager if that pager is located within the radio coverage range of the transmitter. The pager is typically a small device that can be easily carried on the person of the user or placed at a suitable location in close proximity to the user. The pager may include a numeric or alphanumeric display for displaying numeric or text information respectively to the user.
Typically, a pager is associated with a specific telephone number. To page somebody having a pager, a calling party dials the pager""s specific telephone number. In addition, a personal identification number (PIN) code may be associated with a pager if a common access number is used for multiple pagers. After dialing this telephone number, the calling party generally may enter numerical information using dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signals for indicating numerical information. Typically, such information is the calling party""s telephone number so that the person with the pager may call the calling party, i.e., the person who left the page. Other means of signaling such as in-band modem protocols may be used to transfer alphanumeric information with certain types of pagers. Alphanumeric information can be any combination of letters or digits within certain restrictions. After either the numerical or alphanumerical information is entered by the calling party, this information then is transmitted over a paging signal to the appropriate pager.
The appropriate pager detects the paging signal, receives any numerical or alphanumeric information conveyed, and displays the information on a digital display. The pager is also usually designed to notify the paging subscriber that information has been received via audible, visual, or vibration based signals.
Certain services offered by wireline telecommunications networks provide information regarding calls to a subscriber""s telephone number and are commonly known as calling line identification services (xe2x80x9cCaller IDxe2x80x9d services). More specifically, these are calling number delivery services and calling name delivery which provide for the telephone number or name, respectively, associated with the calling party.
These xe2x80x9cCaller IDxe2x80x9d services generally operate in conjunction with a Caller ID display device that displays the name and/or number of the calling party. The device is usually located in close proximity to the telephone associated with the called telephone number. Such a service is advantageous in that it allows a user to xe2x80x9cscreenxe2x80x9d the call by determining who originated the call. However, such display devices are not mobile as they are usually connected to the telephone line and the telephone set.
Another service offered to subscribers by telecommunications networks is xe2x80x9cvoice mailxe2x80x9d service. Voice mail allows a calling party to leave an audio message when the call is not answered or the called party""s line is busy. The called party can then subsequently retrieve the voice mail message left by the calling party. Services such as the voice mail service can be used in conjunction with a paging system to page a subscriber when a voice mail message is left by the calling party. In this manner, the subscriber can be paged and informed that a voice mail message is waiting.
However, current services such as voice mail, that are used in conjunction with a paging system, cause the paging system to notify the user only that a voice mail message exists. The identity of the party who placed the call and left the voice mail message may not be known by the voice mail system, and thus, cannot be transmitted to the paging system and then to the subscriber""s pager. Therefore, when the subscriber receives a page indicating the presence of voice mail, the subscriber has no information regarding who left the voice mail message.
It is possible for a subscriber to voice mail service to subscribe to Caller ID services, and thus obtain information pertaining to calls received. In this manner, the voice mail service could obtain information pertaining to calls in which the calling party left a voice mail message. The voice mail service could send this information via a pager to the subscriber. However, such an arrangement requires hardware and software modifications to the voice mail service and presumes that the telephone subscriber is also a voice mail subscriber.
Therefore, the need exists for a method of paging a subscriber with information relating to the identity of the calling party when a particular event occurs, such as a call is place to a specified telephone number or forwarded to voice mail system.
In general, the present invention is a method and system, in association with a telecommunications network, for paging a subscriber with information pertaining to a call associated with a designated telephone number. A communications service provider, preferably a paging service provider, is provided with information relating to the call, such as the name and/or telephone number of the calling party and the time of the call. The paging service provider then transmits a page including the information relating to the call to the pager of the called party. The pager receives the page and preferably displays the information relating to the call.
More specifically, the present invention is used in association with a telecommunications network and provides for the transmission of information where the information to a pager includes calling party identification information relating to a call made to a designated telephone number. After receiving at a switch a call that is offered from a calling party to a called party, a message is transmitted from the switch to a service control point. Calling party identification information relating to the call is obtained by the service control point. A signal including the calling party identification information is transmitted from the service control point to the switch to instruct the switch to process the call. Another signal including the calling party identification information is transmitted to a paging service provider, which transmits a page including the calling party identification information to a pager associated with the called party. The calling party identification information then may be displayed on the pager.
Advantageously, the present invention, allows a user of telephone service: to be aware of calls made to a telephone number, regardless of whether they were answered, encountered a busy condition, or were forwarded to voice mail, to be aware of the name and number associated with the calling party for such calls and have such information displayed on a pager, to receive such information without having to purchase any additional customer premises equipment or voice mail service in order to receive and display such information.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for paging a subscriber with information relating to a call associated with a designated telephone number.